10 of the best speakeasies in Manhattan

Tom Marchant is the co-founder of luxury travel company and trip planner, Black Tomato, which delivers luxe experiences around the world via inspiring itineraries and access to the globe's up-and-coming, remote destinations. Marchant's finger on the pulse of travel trends and the world's best in hotels, restaurants, destinations and honeymoons is unique and incomparable–and he's sharing his expertise and curated lists of where to visit, stay, eat and more. Here, his picks for the most exclusive and in-the-know places to imbibe in New York City.

New Yorkers (and visitors alike) have a deep love for their hometown, and it stems from its undeniable energy, pulse and beauty. Much of that inspiration comes from the city’s innovative drinking establishments, which feel simultaneously part of the city's past and the present. The city's rich history and constant evolution is most palpable in its speakeasies, some of which have operated (on and off) since Prohibition.

Inventive cocktails, rich decor and a respectful nod to the past elevate these drinking institutions to an almost cult status. Whether it’s a subterranean parlour in Brooklyn, a kosher den above a deli, or a handsome lounge high above Central Park, these holes-in-the-wall hold drinking to a high standard and have solidified their positions as the best of the best. Here, the very best speakeasies in New York.

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1The Office NYC

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The Mandarin Oriental epitomises grace and elegance–and also plays host to its lesser known speakeasy, The Office NYC. This spot houses one of the largest, and most inspiring, rare spirits collections. Soaring above Central Park on the 35th floor and situated within the grand dame’s buzzed about Aviary, The Office is an essential speakeasy. Standouts are the Amaretto Sour and Passionfruit cocktails and for the more adventurous, opt for the “Dealer’s Choice,” where mixologists will craft a bespoke cocktail based on your preferences. The crew at The Office just started “The Dusty Bottle Experience,” an experiential cocktail program featuring three vintage cocktails with spirits from 1960 - 1980, paired with culinary delights. And those shouldn't be overlooked; the food here is excellent. The space is luxurious, tasteful, clubby and full of dark woods, animal skins, and appointed with curious trinkets reminiscent of a life well-lived. While the space is intentionally cut off from views of Central Park, co-owners Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas cleverly incorporated LED lights in the windows to simulate the sun as it sets on New York City. It’s not the easiest ticket in town to grab–make a reservation in advance.

Angel’s Share is one of New York's best-kept secrets. Inside the unassuming Village Yokocho, upstairs and through an unmarked door lives an intimate, sophisticated speakeasy in the East Village. Expert bartenders don formal garb and whip up an assortment of Japanese takes on classic cocktails. Dark wood and elegant wallpaper create a welcoming setting for locals and out-of-towners alike. The mural inspired this hotspot's name, with cherubic figures beckoning you to enjoy yourself. You may have to wait to enter, but that’s part of the charm. One of the best cocktails on the menu is the “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” an inspired concoction of Blanton's Bourbon, Cocchi Barolo Chinato, Oloroso Sherry, benedictine, and Jerry Thomas bitters, served in a smoking glass.

Angel's Share, 8 Stuyvesant St, New York, NY 10003.

3Manhattan Cricket Club

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Perched above the Upper West Side’s buzzy Australian hot spot Burke & Wills is the Manhattan Cricket Club, a sophisticated hideaway for discerning drinkers. This hidden gem pays homage to the bygone gentility of turn-of-the-century British cricket clubs, with forward thinking cocktails and a seductive atmosphere. Head here on a date, or to meet friends. Similar etiquette expected at the city’s more exclusive clubs applies here too: don’t be too loud, dress the part and keep phone calls to the hallway (simple rules of civility). They just launched a new winter cocktail menu from Tim Harris and it’s worth test driving the "Hidden Fortress," with Plymouth Gin, dry curacao, lemon, egg white, Thai basil, and rosemary bitters. Or, sip their "Seven Long Years" with Olmeca Altos Tequila, Ancho Reyes Verde, lime, pineapple, and sesame.

Pro tip: go for the Calvisius Caviar program, where 10g servings of classic osetra caviar take centre stage and can be smartly paired with half bottles of Great Brut or Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve champagne.

Burke & Wills, 226 W 79th St, New York, NY 10024.

4The Back Room

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A favourite stopover in the city’s still-gritty and bustling Lower East Side is The Back Room. While many speakeasies have the look and feel of their former glory, authenticity reigns supreme here. One of only two speakeasies in New York City that thrived in the Prohibition Era (and still does so today), this spot is hidden in the back of Ratner’s. The Back Room has played host to a plethora of stage and screen actors from the Roaring Twenties, and some of the most notorious gangsters too (think Bugsy Siegel and Lucky Luciano, to name a few). The setting here is cosy and cocktails are served in teacups, a smart nod to Prohibition. Here, there’s nothing ‘inspired by’ when it comes to the decor, as it’s all archival and comes from the 1920s. On Monday evenings, the space fills with jazz and is the perfect winter respite - be sure to check their Facebook page for passwords, as they ask on Mondays. The Back Room is all about good vibes with no pretension, with doors always open, though discreetly hidden, for walk-ins.

The Back Room, 120 Norfolk St, New York, NY 10002.

52nd Floor at 2nd Avenue Deli

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One of the more intriguing elements of New York’s speakeasy scene is they often inhabit institutions where you would least expect them. One such place is the 2nd Floor at 2nd Avenue Deli, a speakeasy above its sister Upper East Side institution, recently opened by the Lebewohl family who have been serving some of the city’s best Jewish fare for decades. The space is elevated, especially considering it’s above a deli, with reclaimed wood floors, a pressed-tin ceiling and vintage furniture. What’s most charming here is the tongue-in-cheek homage to its neighbour downstairs–with a menu that will appeal to even the most skeptical. Think pickled tongue sliders, pastrami deviled eggs and gefilte fish croquette. Pair one or more of these dishes with some seriously fun cocktails: like the "Man-O-Manischewitz" with Dorothy Parker Gin, spiced Manischewitz and lemon or the Rosh-Hashanah inspired "Shofar" with Laird's Apple Brandy, house grenadine, honey, lime and baked apple bitters. 2nd Floor doesn’t take itself too seriously and neither should you, but for those who are seeking it, all libations are certified Kosher and served late into the night.

Second Avenue Deli, 1442 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10021.

6The Raines Law Room

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In NYC’s charming Chelsea neighbourhood is The Raines Law Room, named after a turn of the century law aimed to discourage New Yorkers from drinking. Here, you will have to buzz to enter, and if you pass muster with a very particular host, you will be led into a lush enclave peeled from the pages of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Tin ceilings and Chesterfield furniture are juxtaposed with kitschy wallpaper where if you look closely, you’ll see renderings of people reenacting poses of the Kama Sutra. If you’re lucky enough to score one of the private tables, you will have a wall-buzzer that will call your server on-demand for cocktails. To imbibe, the "Rouge One" is delightful, made with bourbon, blood orange, Campari, vanilla, orange cream citrate, shaken and served over crushed ice. For those inclined to leave schooled with mixology know-how, Raines Law Room has a quite popular cocktail class series that is currently sold out with a waitlist. That said, they let us know it could open up soon, so hop on the waitlist here. If Midtown East is more your scene, they recently opened an outpost on E 39th and Park at The William, an after work must for the city’s well-heeled.

The Raines Law Room, 48 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011.

The Raines Law Room at the William, 24 E 39th St, New York, NY 10016.

7Chumley's

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Fresh from a revamp, Chumley’s has proven it has serious staying power as one of the city’s best speakeasies. A long history makes this spot all the more colourful, dating back to Prohibition when it first opened its unmarked doors to the city’s imbibers. While Chumley’s cocktails are expertly crafted, and many fresh takes on old guard classics abound, the food here is truly stand-out. The cheeseburger is out of this world, infused with bone marrow and American cheese. If you don’t shy away from red meat, try the steak tartare and pair it with a hearty scotch from their impressive selection. While the space may have changed, the charm remains, and devoted fans still flock here–and you should too.

Chumley's, 86 Bedford St, New York, NY 10014.

8Le Boudoir

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The stately backdrop of Brooklyn Heights is home to a Rococo themed hideaway from the team at Chez Moi with Le Boudoir, a subterranean speakeasy inspired by Marie Antoinette’s private chambers in Versailles. The setting is sexy and subversive, channeling a space that once served as Marie’s refuge from the oft-oppressive etiquette of the royal court. Enter the space through a bookshelf in Chez Moi and down a flight of stairs you will be greeted with a marble bar, well-stocked with silver-plated goblets and coupes, crystal d'arques glassware and a clever bronze bust of Antoinette that serves up beers on draft.

True to form, plush red velvet banquettes and marble tables comprise the lounge, replete with ornate gilded mirrors and antique sconces sourced from France. A geometric wood ceiling is a reproduction of the Parquet de Versailles, a flooring pattern that was first introduced at the royal palace.

Inspired cocktails are helmed by Beverage Director Franky Marshall, formerly of Monkey Bar and The Dead Rabbit, so you are in good hands. Try the "Axel von Fersen," "Air Balloon" and the "Dauphin." Head here on a Monday night for live music and post up in a chaise lounge adjacent to a Steinway & Sons that will be put to good use. Try and snag a seat in the stone grotto, an abandoned tunnel discovered underneath Atlantic Avenue during construction but done up with whimsy, French Neoclassical paintings et al.

Chez Moi, 135 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

9Bo Peep

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The subterranean Bo Peep Cocktail & Highball Store, is hidden under The Ragtrader in Midtown and inspired by an intimate tailor’s fitting room from the '40s. With a nod to the former glory of the Bo-Peep Manufacturing Company that occupied the building in the mid-1900s, this opulent lounge and piano bar has an air of mystery about it. Decor here is playful but precise, with plush banquette seating with an eye for detail exuded through piping, fringing, and buttoning. But the real reason to go here is for the cocktails, crafted behind a bar that was made from a tailor’s old drafting table.

The cocktails are whimsical, a welcome escape from Manhattan’s mania, and are inspired by the ‘40s and ‘50s. Bo Peep's talented barkeeps have them categorised in playful ways: Tiki, Swizzled & Crushed; Sours, Flips & Fun; Stirred, Boozy & Serious; and Fizzes, Bubbles & Smashes. There’s almost always a piano player serenading with throwbacks; a stop here is truly transporting and highlights the best of a bygone era.

The Ragtrader, 70 W 36th St, New York, NY 10018.

10The Campbell

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Grand Central Station’s architectural jewel, The Campbell, is fresh from a facelift and still serves cocktails and canapés to devoted socialites, commuters and weekend warriors alike. Though the ornate space is sizeable, The Campbell is easy to miss and discreetly accessible off of Vanderbilt Avenue (a preferred way to enter to avoid the crowds of Grand Central). The former office of its namesake, railroad tycoon John Campbell, The Campbell is as dramatic and elegant as ever–a perfect start to a romantic evening, an ideal place to unwind after a long day in the office, or the best place to grab a quick drink before catching a train.

From the minute you enter, you can feel that this soaring space has seen it all, including some of the city’s most notorious characters. Expect a roaring fire and civilised service (no standing without a seat) but with some memorable updates to the menu. Try “The Penicillin,” a fragrant fusion of Glenmorangie scotch, Ardberg 10 year scotch, fresh lemon juice and ginger liqueur. For something more classic, The Campbell makes a fabulous martini, aptly named “John Campbell’s Martini,” with Stoli Elit vodka, carpano dry vermouth and castelvetrano olives. In the evenings, Campbell transformed this swanky space into a music hall so he could spend more time with colleagues and friends. And to this day, it channels the tycoon’s vision and remains one of the finest speakeasies for cocktails and conversation in the city.

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